Opinion Running in place

For all the value that a “cut motion”,the first in independent India,may have held for those interested in the fine points of democratic practice,in substance,for all three political formations,it seemed like an anti-climax and a slump back into an older politics. The vote on the cut motion almost emphasised how each formation — led by the Congress,the BJP and the Left — was struggling to sound like it had “won” but was hemmed in by its own limitations.

Of course,the implications of the vote are being felt in two important states,Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand,as the chief ministers there emphatically defended the UPA government,despite having been involved in politics of the opposition till just before the vote. But all in all,it is unlikely that the Congress,the BJP or the Left and other parties are feeling too thrilled with what the vote signified.

As far as the leading opposition party goes,despite the calculated chant of “it’s the Emergency”,“return to 1987” (or 1989 or 1977),the images conjured up by the BJP of overwhelming anti-Congressism as the single pole of Indian politics are just that,fanciful images. The vote underlined the fact that going along with the BJP for non-NDA parties still remains such an anathema,that they still have a long way to go to cross the post-Gujarat riots Rubicon.

As far as the Left goes,which was careful to avoid being seen “with” the BJP,harping on “price rise” as an issue after its heart,if the attempt was to showcase anything close to a “Third Front”,the voting patterns of the Samajwadi Party,Rashtriya Janata Dal,Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Bahujan Samaj Party have served as reminders of the fact that the Third Front is a non-starter in the 15th Lok Sabha — and many would say,even as an idea with a future in the medium term.

As far as the “victors” (UPA) are concerned,the win must have come as a huge relief,as the threats by the opposition and the novelty of the device had caused much sleeplessness in the ranks of the ruling party — the win would therefore have been a vindication. However,the fact that without Behen Mayawati’s 21,the numbers against the cut motion would have been less than 272 must have caused concern. The fact that it was necessary for the Yadavs to have stayed away from the vote to have given the UPA legroom would have left several in the UPA squirming.

So far,the pitch and mood had suggested that the leading party in the government has already got 300 seats,and so the attitude to other “smaller” players has been unsparing and patronising. The fact that they still need the support of smaller parties,especially those in the Hindi belt,would be a sobering thought.

Other than the fact that it meant no real victory to any formation,what was clear was that one year after the general election neither the treasury benches nor the opposition had been able to redraw their map,or re-imagine their political horizons.

But the fact that so early in the life of the 15th Lok Sabha such drastic measures had to be resorted to could of course be a signal that political players feel the situation warrants dramatic steps. But more than that,not one of the three formations has been able to emerge from the limitations of their old ideas and constraints.

With a Congress that is in power but does not have a majority on its own,a BJP which is the largest opposition but is still isolated amongst opposition ranks,struggling to fight off the stigma of 2002,a Left that prides itself on being the one that is “different” but is confronted with a historic low in terms of strength,worried about a further dip,and several smaller but aggressive constituents like the SP,BSP and RJD all mindful of shrinking numbers and prospects,one would have thought parties would feel the need to push the envelope in terms of ideas and politics. After all,there is the widely shared assumption that the 2009 general election verdict actually demonstrated a vindication of politics that sought to prioritise governance and redistributive justice,but also did not dish out a thundering endorsement to the winners.

But then,other than Bihar,there are no major elections this year. That might be a reason why it may be unfair to expect any major political shifts or new thinking,as “electioneering” has become the spur for political mobilisation,with little happening otherwise which attracts attention. This also means that most political parties,with possible exceptions of the Left and BSP which are about cadres and mobilisation,are becoming about candidates/ political entities and their immediate families “taking care” of the politics. That is perhaps why most parties do not feel the need to live out their politics in their daily interactions or “way of life”,to use a cliché from a lost era.

Perhaps after Bihar,and in the run-up to elections in West Bengal,Kerala and Tamil Nadu,and of course Uttar Pradesh,political parties can be expected to be more imaginative.

seema.chishti@expressindia.com

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